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The Montgomery Advertiser newspaper's blog on all things related to Alabama politics and state government, featuring the writings of Sebastian Kitchen and Markeshia Ricks

Friday, January 15, 2010

Anderson to run for AG

Montgomery attorney James Anderson wants to be head of the largest law firm in the state. He said he will file his papers Saturday to qualify to run for Alabama attorney general.Anderson, former chairman of the Alabama Ethics Commission, joins an increasingly crowded field of candidates vying for the position held by Attorney General Troy King, a Republican who plans to run for his second full term.Anderson has represented groups well connected to Democratic politics in the state including the Alabama Education Association and the Alabama Democratic Party, which he said he has represented for eight years without charge.Anderson, 55, said he has handled mostly civil cases, including representing people and companies that have been sued, but also has handled criminal cases including capital murder."You have got to have somebody in that office that actually knows what they're doing, that has practiced law, that has not been a lobbyist or a political hack their whole life," he said.The attorney general is the state's lawyer and is involved in lobbying for issues, negotiating on behalf of the state, representing the state in civil and criminal cases, and prosecuting cases, Anderson said.Other Democratic candidates include former federal prosecutor Michel Nicrosi, a Montgomery native who lives in Daphne, and Giles Perkins, a Birmingham attorney and former executive director of the Alabama Democratic Party.The Republican candidates include King and Birmingham lawyer and former lobbyist Luther Strange. Strange beat a field of Republicans in the 2006 Republican primary for lieutenant governor, but lost to Jim Folsom Jr. in the general election."Either one of those guys is going to be well-funded and they're also going to be well beat up," Anderson said of the GOP primary.Anderson, who ran for the Alabama Supreme Court eight years ago, criticized King and Strange's lack of law experience.Running the attorney general's office with limited legal experience is "like coaching a team in a sport you have never played," Anderson said.He said he will lay out the need for a new direction in the attorney general's office.

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South Union Street is the blog of Montgomery Advertiser political reporters Markeshia Ricks and Sebastian Kitchen. Always check here for the latest on the Legislature, elections and other activities and players in Alabama.